2020 State of the Court Report

Budgetary Effects & Impacts in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic brought significant budgetary impacts to the trial courts across the state of California

Coupled with a healthcare emergency, SBSC had to quickly adjust to a statewide $54 billion deficit prediction as California’s revenue outlook plummeted.

In just a five-month period, from the Governor’s January 2020 Proposed Budget to the May 2020 Revise, SBSC saw an $11 million swing in anticipated revenue; which included both the loss of new ongoing funding and an ongoing funding cut of $8.3 million for the FY 2020-21, which began on July 1, 2020. This impact affected the court’s ability to operate during the pandemic as it brought SBSC from being 83% funded down to only 70% funded in the span of just a few short months. In the midst of closing and attempting to safely reopen the court during the pandemic, SBSC’s judicial and executive leadership strived to preserve public access, while navigating these budgetary challenges. SBSC’s local budget is composed of 83% salaries and benefits so this challenge included holding positions vacant, offering reduced schedules, and reducing clerk’s office hours from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (noon). This was a necessary step

to limit the foot-traffic in all courthouses, but also served to help the court manage COVID-19 workplace impacts. Notable cost increases directly attributable to the pandemic included disinfecting and custodial services of over $350,000, additional expenses such as plexiglass, remote space for jurors, and over $70,000 on personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies for both staff and the public. Additionally, attorneys, law firms and the County of San Bernardino made generous PPE donations to ensure SBSC had the necessary operational supplies to continue to be open during the pandemic.

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